Marines with 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, Bravo Battery tactically enter a building during military operations on urban terrain training at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., Sept. 16, 2015. MOUT training is utilized to prepare Marines for urban warfare in areas such as towns and cities. The Marines conducted the training to sharpen combat skills and the knowledge required for MOUT operations is equal across the entire platoon.

Photo by Pfc. Nicholas P. Baird

2nd LAAD Marines charge, clear rooms during MOUT training

19 Sep 2015 | Pfc. Nicholas P. Baird 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERY POINT, N.C. --

Bravo Battery, 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion noncommissioned officers guided new-join Marines through military operations on urban terrain training clearing houses swiftly and silently at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., Sept. 16.

The training is designed to ensure the Marines are prepared for combat on urban terrain. During the exercise, the Marines learned verbal and visual signals to communicate with one another while clearing a room from bottom to top.

“I hope the Marines take this training and apply it in the future so that room clearing and urban patrolling may become muscle memory for them,” said Sgt. John H. Sharpe, a low altitude air defense gunner with 2nd LAAD. “I hope these Marines will pass this knowledge on to future generations.”

The Marines set up a perimeter around their target and focused in on the room that they were preparing to clear, said Sharpe. By training the Marines in a realistic environment, the Marines are learning to think on their feet and make sound decisions in a combat environment, he explained.

According to Sharpe, the goal of the training is to make the knowledge of military operations on urban terrain equal across the entire platoon, from the most junior to the most senior Marines.

“The Marines learned a lot from the close-quarters combat training,” said Lance Cpl. Arismendy Reynoso Jr., a low altitude air defense gunner with the squadron. “The training the Marines underwent helped a lot, giving them more knowledge on missions they may face on the ground.”

According to Reynoso, the training was useful because the Marines utilized practical application outside the classroom. The Marines had hands-on training as they completed many different scenarios requiring different tactics and problem solving skills.

“This training can help the battery in many situations,” stated Reynoso. “2nd LAAD needs to be trained and master their ground combat skills in order to ensure we are mission ready for any task we are assigned to.”